You can’t quite figure them out. They aren’t motivated to fit in. They take little value in mission statements. They really don’t understand what it took to get this far. Does anyone really know what Gen X is all about? They certainly don’t. This is the group that brought alternative rock and 'grunge' into the mainstream. This is also the group that brought Google and Starbucks into everyday living. This is the group that understands technology and keeps the machine spinning. (This is also the group that will be funding the retirement of 65 million Boomers in the next 5-10 years). Gen X’ers have rebuffed the corporate image, thrown out the 'be thankful you have a job' mentality and steadily irritated established professionals to the point of disgust. They don’t want to fit in and they certainly don’t act like they care one iota about it. The biggest issue with Gen X’ers is they generally have 10+ years of professional experience and advanced degrees. The problem is those 10 years are rarely in the same field and nowhere near their collegiate field of study. Maybe grad school, but certainly not their undergrad work. They are generally, an intelligent bunch, but they are mighty impatient. Instead of waiting their turn and paying their dues, they want to push established managers and executives out of the way. Herein lays the problem. Gen X’ers understand we will be funding the retirement of the generation before us. Gen X’ers also understand that most retirement funds will be exhausted by 2037. Gen X’ers understand that if we intend to make our billion-dollar next egg, we will likely need to venture out on our own. In order to accomplish this mission, we typically end up selling our fancy gizmos back to the corporations we abandoned in the process. And yes, that’s billion – with a ‘B’ – one million feels undervalued these days. So the challenge before seasoned managers is to keep the Gen X’ers engaged while providing enough lateral growth they don’t feel they need to jump ship every two or three years. If you are familiar with Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, most of Gen X is still fighting to move beyond the Security stage and into Belonging… forget about Self-Actualization anytime soon. Oddly enough, most Gen X’ers become nauseous at the very idea of 'belonging' to anything. To further complicate matters is those darling Millennials who are so eager to please. They listen. They follow the rules. They understand. They are everything Gen X isn’t.